Virtual reality has become one of the hottest technologies in the world, even if it hasn’t been adopted quite as quickly as some expected. It’s still expected to be more of a mainstream technology in the years to come, and in the meantime, there’s a great deal of focus on what improvements are being made, which industries can make use of it, and what exactly it’s capable of. It’s all fairly exciting to keep track of, from both an entrepreneurial and a wellness standpoint.

We’ve come up with a few particularly interesting things to know about VR these days.

1. It’s Going Device-Free

Virtual reality headsets are devices unto themselves, but until recently they’ve needed to be paired with other devices in order to work properly. There has been no major VR headset capable of operating without being connected to a smartphone, PC, or high-end gaming console. That’s all changing, however, and changing rapidly. As of early 2018, numerous companies involved with virtual reality were announcing standalone headsets, to the point that there are now debates over which one is best, rather than questions about whether they’ll work. Quite suddenly it has begun to feel like the future of VR lies with standalone headsets free of other devices.

2. It Will Change Home Fitness

Home fitness is by no means an industry that VR was made for, but as soon as you think of the idea it begins to make quite a lot of sense. At this point, we’ve already seen some creative individuals using various VR programs and their own stationary bikes to create cycling simulations. It’s easy to imagine an exercise equipment company in the very near future taking this idea and making it all a little bit smoother. And we’ve also seen some entirely new exercise apparatuses emerging, built around the concept of exercising while strapped into a virtual reality.

3. It May Takes Over The Casino Industry

All you need to do is look at recent trends in digital casinos to see that this could ultimately be one of the biggest and most profitable avenues for virtual reality. For a couple of decades now various web platforms have been looking for new ways (typically just better graphics and multiplayer systems) to make online poker look like the real thing. The same can be said of blackjack. Online slots, meanwhile, have begun to implement the latest video streaming technologies to create crisp, realistic, engaging experiences. It’s all meant to feel real, and that’s pretty much the name of the game in virtual reality. In the early going, we’re mostly hearing about experiences that allow players to feel like they’re sitting at poker tables. But it is likely that entire VR casinos are just around the corner as well.

4. It’s Being Used To Treat Mental Health Issues

Finally and perhaps most importantly of all, virtual reality is bringing dramatic change to mental health care. This is an area of healthcare that is frequently misunderstood, and one in which treatment methods have long been inadequate. But since much of this training involves training the mind to accept or cope with certain situations, VR is actually perfect for it. There have already been instances of its use in treating anxieties, phobias, and various other mental health issues, and we’re probably just brushing the surface of what can happen from this point forward.